Can I ask a follow-up question?
What does it *mean* to say that “mass” has been converted into “energy?” I’ve never intuitively understood what energy actually *is* – it always seemed like a number that we use to describe the motion of matter. Energy flows through systems when materials interact, but it never seems to exist beyond being a formalism that describes the behavior of matter.
So when matter is converted “into” energy – where does it go? Is there a moment where “pure” energy exists?
Or is energy here just a fancy word for “light”?
Can I ask a follow-up question?
What does it *mean* to say that “mass” has been converted into “energy?” I’ve never intuitively understood what energy actually *is* – it always seemed like a number that we use to describe the motion of matter. Energy flows through systems when materials interact, but it never seems to exist beyond being a formalism that describes the behavior of matter.
So when matter is converted “into” energy – where does it go? Is there a moment where “pure” energy exists?
Or is energy here just a fancy word for “light”?
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